I'm curious, when and how did the beading obsession take control of your life? Or, are you one of the unlucky ones that can just make the odd bit of jewellery and put it away for a while. Have beads completely taken over your home? Do your friends roll their eyes as soon as you mention the 'b' word? - I'd love to hear your comments, and your story!
I'll go first - grin
I'm pretty sure it started somewhere around the time I was 14 - 16. There used to be a bead shop in Scarborough called the Nautilus. It was fairly close to my home, and one day my mom and I popped in to see what they had. Well, I was hooked right upon entering. They had tons of cabs, and semi precious beads, bins of rocks that you could glue into those cheap expandable bales. I picked up a stash of semi precious beads, and a bead stringing/knotting book. I'm pretty sure we went right home, and I don't think I emerged from my room except to show off my newest necklace for about 2 days!
Over the years, my obsession has only expanded. I've done silversmithing, metal clay, lampwork beads, seedbeads....you name it, if it's remotely bead related I've tried it. Lampworking and metal clay are my current true jewelry related passions. Aack...I have others too :-)
So, What's your story?
5 comments:
I'll play! I was always interested in jewelry, and I used to collect vintage costume jewelry. Inevitably, you get some broken pieces, so you try repairing them, and then making your own designs. Then, at the Creative Sewing Show (as it was called then) - I picked up a kit, by Bettey Kelly, a broad collar necklace - all vintage bugles and seedbeads, with the encouraging advice "How hard can it be?" Needing more beads led me to beadFX, which led me to lampworking, and the rest, they say, is history!
I've been jewellery obsessed for as long as I can remember -- beads came later. I suppose that I moved beyond the paper chains and felt-tip marker baubles drawn on my skin around the time I got my ears peirced (maybe 10 years old). Next came earrings made from shells that I had collected from the beach, with holes drilled on my Mom's drill press, and painted in all the coordinating colours of nail polish in my collection. There was a phase of plaster casting and papier mache and finally beads and silver-plated wire by the time I hit high school. $5 earrings sold at a local farmers market supplimented my sad student income in university. Now that I have a career to feed my obsession I can finally afford the quality components that I've always wanted to work with!
Does anyone remember Friendship Pins in the 80s? I was in elementary school & my prized beads that i wouldn't trade away were "dice"...hey I wonder if they are still around?
Anyway, I loved beading since then, but when my family moved houses, my beads were packed away. I've reconnected with this hobby in the past year, & I don't think my beads will be packed away again!
OK, off to search for those Special Dice Beads.
I have always been crafty. There was a serious friendship bracelet (embroidary floss) period in early high school. I tried to incorporate beads, but was not very successfully. Looking back, the failure was due to the limitations of beads available in rural areas.
There was a slight rival in college, but nothing really to boast about.
Then about 5 years ago, I got a job in a craft shop (sewing, embroidary and beading). I had to learn basic techniques so I coudl help customers. That's where it took off. New techniques! New beads! Special orders! It was one of my customers who send me your way! And I guess the rest is history!
I actually came to beads via quilting. I started embellishing my quilts with beady things (I've done handwork of various kinds since I was 3)and discovered I liked the beady things more than the quilts *g*. I went to a good bead store where I used to live out West to take some classes and the rest, as they say, is history. So are the quilts!
But I do hope to get back to them some day.
Lori
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